Melting kettle for tar, asphalt, and the like



Jan. 20, 1942. w. c. ELZE ET AL MELTING KETTLE FOR TAR, ASPHALT, AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS W41. raw C LZE' AND v /RV//VG MC flan 41.

ATTORNEY.

I of the external surfaces of said flues.

Patented Jan. 20, 1942 T D STATES P wit; 0. For? it 7 Valley Stream, N. Y., assignors tollanck Mam 1v ufaetnrlng Company, Brooklyn,

q rationof'NewYork 1 Application 19:9, Nolan-11,610 h x I v (01. 126-3435) The invention relates to melting apparatusr more particularly to melting kettles for tar, asphalt and the like, and such as are designed in an end "wall of a receptacle, containing tem of heating flues which extend longitudinally usually for highway maintenance, paving, roofing,

and water roofing, and like operations, The

present invention is concernedmore especially with kettles of this nature wherein a system'of heating flues is designed to be totally immersed in the molten material, a burner being provided in connection therewith for introducing a flame or heated gases into one end of the flue system as mountedinthe melting receptacle, and the flues extending substantially longitudinally in the receptacle. In melting kettles of this type it becomes necessary, as a rule, to clean the bottom and the external surfaces of the flues after each operation of the kettle; and to this,

end provision hasbeen made heretofore for bodily removal of the flue system to render the erally more or less accessible through removal,

of covers or lids associated with the kettle.

It is an object of the present invention to afford a novel kettle construction which will make unnecessary this dangerous, costly, and timeconsuming bodily removal ofthe flue system from the melting receptacle, in order to effect proper cleanin8 of the bottom of the kettle 'aswell as More.- over, it obviates possible damage to the flues.

A further object of the invention is to provide manually operable means for the opening of a portion of the receptacle wall to admit of the introduction, within the receptacle and beneath the flues, of suitable cleaning or scraping imple' ments which may be manipulated externally of the receptacle in a manner to. properly clean the bottom of thekettle and the under surfaces of matter ortscrappings may notaccumulate on the bottomof the receptacle being readily withdrawn through. said opening by the proper implements.

Still anotherjob'ject of the invention is to provide a melting kettle constructionwhich.will

enable alsofthe spigot and the strainer surround ing its inner end to be removedwith the wall pore tion so as to ,aflord a, perfectly free, space for manipulation of the cleaning implements, it

thereioif in the molten material, anopening oppo-f site the burner endof the flue system, said openi ing being located. so as to afford accessto'the, undersurface of the fines 'andalso to allow" of} withdrawal from the receptacle of the discharge spigot aswell "as the usual strainer surrounding the inner endof the; same. ;Both spigot strainer are, tothis end-attached to ormadel an integral part of a removable closing element for the said opening, means being provided @101:

a manually closing the opening through said close ing element and maintaining the same closed;

while the kettle'isin operation.-

When' it is desired to clean the fluesystemflfi the kettle after conclusion of the melting opera'-" tion and withdrawal of the molten material, the closing element is detached manually from receptacle wall together with the spigot'and its surrounding strainer to leave a substantial oped- 1 ing in the said wall, in line with the flues and; such that propelimplements may be inserted therethrough and manipulated within the'recem 7 be understood when described in connection In carrying out the invention, there is provided 6 tacle over the bottom of the kettle andthe surface of the flues, It is preferred a150,, cone tinue this opening to the bottom of the receptacle:

in order that any foreign matter or scrapings fembe readily withdrawn over the bottom and out throughthesaidopening. e f

The nature of the invention, however, will best the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectionthrough the novel melting kettle; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof Fig. 3 is afragmentary' detail sectional'view illustrating'the kettle in condition for cleaning of the bottom of the kettle andof the underside of its flues.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the kettle; and Fig. 5 is a similar longitudinal,

section thereof;

Fig; 6 is a fragmentary, detail, horizontal tional'v iew of a modification; and Fig. 7

lat viewaof a further, modiflegtipn t .Refer'ringto the drawigs, (more particularly F s f-jl fil f fl e i na sa .inta sh ll or more 01'." less j elongated receptacle with'jbottorn *il] l and bee at the t I- I h s op.i1h wever; is'jdesigned to be "closed 'by means', for example, of a j pair of ihinged lids or covers l l'which ,areclosed afterfllling of the receptacle with material to' ib'ef melted. The kettle ismounted uponafjsuitablej framework ISwhich maybe provided with pairs of handles it and II at its opposite ends ior manually transporting the same from place to m The able burner apparatus indicated at I. for projecting flame'and heated gases into an immersed melting member or flue system embody-- Portion 2| to the burner end of the kettle where they are upwardly directed as chimneys 22' and a. respectively, extending through the top for discharge of the spent gases. A pair of inclined stub or dcad-endextensions 2i and II in the nature of short pipe lengths may beprovided at the discharge end of the kettle, as is more particularly set forth in U. 8. Letters Patent #2175386, granted to applicants assignee the th day of October, 1939. These extensions are located upon opposite sides of a screen 30 for the molten material and surrounding the inner end 3! of a spigot 32 adapted for discharge of molten material from the receptacle.

Heretofore, such .spigot and surrounding burner element have been fixedly secured to the receptacle wall; but in accordance with the present invention, both of these elements are mounted for ready removal from the interior of said receptacle at the same time that the interior of the said receptacle, particularly below the flue system, is rendered accessible for introduction of suitable cleaning implements externally manipulatable. Thus, there is provided in the end wall of the receptacle and substantially opposite the burner end of the flue system an opening 35 which, preferably, extends to the bottom of said receptacle, as indicated, and is of sumclent size to pass the discharge spigot with surrounding screen out of the kettle, as will hereinafter be more fully set iorth. This opening is designed to be sealed, normally and while the kettle is in operation. by means of a clean-out door or sealing element 36 which may be hinged to or in any suitable manner attached to the wall of the receptacle, for example, as by means of suitable bolts 3'! and nuts ll, with intermediate gasket 39.

This sealing, element, furthermore, carries also the spigot, which passes therethrough as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, as well as the strainer element surrounding the inner end of said spigot.

Thereby, when the plate is removed, after un-- screwing the nuts I8, both the spigot and strainer will be lifted out therewith from the interior of the receptacle, rendering the same free and unobstructed for introduction through the opening 3' of suitable implements which are manipulated externally of the receptacle to scrape and remove the deposited matter from the bottom of the kettle and 'the underside of the flue system. The upper port ons of the flues are readily accessible from the top of the receptacle by raising or removing the covers II, so that it .becomes unnecessary in the present instance to as required. irame II is designed also to carry a suitout causing any accumulation to remain there- After the desired cleaning of the outer surface of the flue system has been eflected, opening II is again sealed by restoring the clean-out element to its position thereover and locking the same through the bolts and nuts 31- and it, as is well understood. This restores, also, the spigot to its proper location for discharge of a subsequent batch of molten material from the receptacle, in the usual manner.

Instead of the bolt and nut arrangement indicated for securing the clean-out element in position to seal the receptacle opening, an element 40, Fig. 6, may be locked in position over the opening 4| in receptacle 42 through a camming action effected by a pair of rockable levers 43 mounted on the kettle and having a cam surface 44 cooperating with a beveled surface ll of a cooperating portion I! of the element II. A circumferential flange 41 extending beyond the rim bears through an intermediate annular gasket 48, when the levers 43 are correspondingly locked, upon the outer surface of the re ceptacle to insurean adequate seal of the opening while the kettle is in operation.

Or, a flange 50 through an intermediate annular gasket 5| may seal a clean-out element 52 to the outer surface of the wall of a receptacle 53 by means of a screw 54 whose inner end bears against a. boss 55 of the head of a spigot 56. This screw is threaded through a yoke 51 removably held by its opposite arms 58 to a pair of respective hooks 59 as the screw is advanced toward the end of the spigot.

Other means of eflecting the sealing will, of course, suggest themselves, and we do not wish to be restricted to the specific expedients shown.

We claim:

1. In a melting kettle for tar, asphalt and the like comprising a melting receptacle provided with an opening at the top for receiving material to be melted, and a system of heating flues fixedly mounted within and extending longitudinally of the receptacle for immersion in the molten material therein and having a burner opening at one end: a removable element closing normally an opening in the receptacle wallv substantially opposite the burner end of the heating flues, a spigot located below the bottom of the flues and carried by said element, said spigot having a closure element rotatable over its inner end of lesser radius than the smallest dimension of said receptacle opening and adapted for discharge of molten material from the receptacle, and means manually operable exteriorly of the receptacle for detaching the element with the spigot as a unit from the receptacle to admit of introducing cleaning implements beneath said flues for contact therewith.

2. In a melting kettle for tar, asphalt and the like comprising a melting receptacle provided with an opening at the top for receiving material to be melted, and a system of heating flues fixedly mounted within and extending longitudinally of the receptacle for immersion in the molten material therein and having a burner opening at one end: a removable element ex-.

dimension of said receptacle opening and adapted for discharge of molten material from the receptacle, and means manually operable exteriorly of the receptacle for detaching the element with the spigot as a unit from the receptacle to admit of introducing cleaning implements beneath said flues for contact therewith.

3. In a melting kettle for tar, asphalt and the like comprising a melting receptacle provided with an opening at the top for receiving material to be melted, and a system of heating fiues fixedly mounted within and extending longitudinally of the receptacle for immersion in the molten material therein and having a burner opening at one end: a removable element closing normally an opening in the receptacle wall substantially opposite the burner end of the heating flues, a spigot located below the bottom of the lines and carried by said element, said spigot having a closure element rotatable over its inher end and adapted for discharge of molten material from the receptacle, a strainer attached to the removable element, surrounding the inner end of the closure element and being smaller than the said receptacle opening, and means manually operable exteriorly of the receptacle for detaching the element with the spigot and the strainer as a unit from the receptacle to admit of introducing cleaning implements beneath said flues for contact therewith.

' WALTER C. ELZE.

IRVING MCDOWELL. 

